# Healthy(er) Options



## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

Since some of us are on diets I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread where we can post some healthy meals or healthier alternatives that others can utilize. 

So if you have a great meal that is good for you post it here!


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

Since most of us love beer I'll start there. 

Beer is God's gift to man. However, it can also be a gift to your gut. Personally I love drinking a cold beer with my cigar but I tend to dislike lite beers. 

If you enjoy lite beers, then they are definitely the way to go when dieting. However, if you are like me and they just "don't do it for you," then another option is Guinness. Guinness is low in calories and even has a bit of protein. According to Weight Watchers, Guinness is better than most non-lite beers. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that alcohol content generally means calories in that the higher % will usually correspond with more calories.


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## zackly (Jun 27, 2008)

fewer chili dogs
more cigars


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

Guiness is my beer of choice, and will be all I drink beer wise for the next few months.

A few healthy meals I enjoy:

Egg whites instead of whole eggs, or you can do 1 egg white and 1 whole egg.

I don't like tuna with mayo, instead I go with green olives, capers and lemon juice...so good!

Then you have your normal lean foods such as grilled chicken, fish and turkey.

To change it up I throw a bunch of greens and some grilled chicken in a whole wheat wrap and call it a day!

Nice thread


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

Pasta. I love it, but it generally seems to be a no no when dieting. There are ways around that though. 

First, lets look at the sauce (or gravy). Some of the worst pasta sauce that you can eat comes in the jars at the super market. Why? Because they generally add sugar to sweeten it. 

Here is my recipe for sauce (I make a lot which I will explain later):

Using a large sauce pan over medium heat:

In 1Tb of extra virgin olive oil, saute 3 cloves of garlic (add more garlic if you prefer) stirring constantly so it does not burn.

Once garlic is beginning to brown add 2 small finely chopped onions. Stirring regularly until onions are translucent. 

Add 6 Cans of CRUSHED Tomatoes - when buying the crushed tomatoes it is best to get the Italian version from the super market. These tend to be a bit more expensive but the others don't use only Italian tomatoes, which results in a different taste. 

Add 1 Can of Tomato Paste - again, using the Italian brand.

Stir to combine.

Add a dozen chopped basil leaves, a pinch of salt, 2Tb of chopped Oregano and 2Tb of chopped Parsley. 

Stir to combine.

Raise heat to high string occasionally until the sauce has boiled for 30 mins. Remember to cover so you don't have a mess.

Reduce heat to low for 4 hours while stirring occasionally so it does not burn. 

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An easy way to turn this into gravy is to add a pound of lean cut pork. Cut the pork into 1 inch pieces and add to the pan after the garlic. Rotate the pork so it browns on each side (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COOK IT ALL THE WAY AT THIS POINT). Once the pork has browned add the onions and continue. 

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Now, why do I make so much? Easy because this sauce (or gravy) FREEZES. After it is done, and I take what I will be using for dinner, I let it sit on the stove for an hour to cool. Then I separate the sauce into ziplock containers and place in the freezer. This is great for two reasons: (1) this is a time consuming recipe; and (2) it becomes an easy meal to prepare when you are otherwise too tired or busy to cook.

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Finally, I will discuss the pasta itself. I'm sorry. Regular pasta is simply not good when you are trying to loose weight. The best alternative (taste wise) is whole wheat pasta which can be found at any super market. Another alternative is steamed green beans (I have not tried this but I have a good friend that swears by it).

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Wait! What about the toppings/ additions?!? 

Oh yes, if you like cheese on your pasta I suggest you use Fat Free Shredded Mozzarella instead of graded parmesan. 

Also, if you like chicken parmesan then you can broil a chicken breast in the oven and again use Fat Free Shredded Mozzarella.


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## WilsonRoa (Dec 20, 2010)

I think Special K bars are good if you got to nibble on something. And when I diet, I drink nothing but water. 

The diet I USED to be on would consist of eating whatever I wanted but in less portions. I tried to avoid greasy things though. I exercised when I could by walking about 3 miles on the weekends. I eventually lost 15lbs in 3 months until I plateaued. I'm sure with more exercise I would of done better than 15lbs. Oh and I did take suppliment pills from healthytrim. I've been off the pills and trying on my own cause its supposed to cut your hunger down but it didn't with mine. so I figured I was paying for something I could do on my own.

Anyone have good receipes for chicken breasts? I hate vegtables too so I don't know how to even start liking them without making faces or gagging cause of the taste and texture. I'm weird..I know..lol.


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## WilsonRoa (Dec 20, 2010)

I just saw the post above. I guess I took to long to write (at work). I'm gonna give that sauce a try. And I don't mind giving whole wheat pasta a try.  Thanks for that receipe!


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

My favorite chicken breast dish is:

grill the chicken, cook some spinach and then mix in some fat free mozzarella and throw it all on a whole wheat wrap..it is FANTASTIC. Diet or no diet that is how I eat almost all my chicken.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

I put my chicken breasts in the smoker for added flavor and slice it and place it over spinach or brocolli rabe. Or I'll get some high fiber multigrain wraps and make a wrap for lunch. Lost 55 lbs last year eating healthy and doing 30 minutes of exercise a day. Switching snack foods for chopped veggies, egg whites or protein shakes in the morning and small 1-200 calorie "mini-meals" every 2 hours or so.


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

Tuna tataki



I had cooked some greens (asparagus, peppers, etc) to go with it, but didn't take a photo.


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

Bruno why did you have to go and post that?!!?! You are the second person to send me a picture of Tuna today! I want some now!


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

Would you prefer roast beef instead?



It was my first time with roast beef so it came out overcooked.


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## Reg (Dec 6, 2010)

I will never go back to regular pasta since discovering whole wheat pasta. The WW version needs little more than a bit of olive oil to be delicious.


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

Still looks good even though it looks more like pork 

Need to keep some of that blood in the roast beef!

Agreed on the WW pasta, it is fantastic!


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

Looks like I got confused with the tuna tataki. My wife sent me the photo. I made it with lotus root.


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

What kind of taste does lotus root have? Always wanted to try it but never had.


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

I didn't try it raw. I cut it thinly and fried it. It's kind of like a potato, but not. It's more fibrous and is crunchier than a potato. Sorry. I wish I could describe it better. haha

Here's one more I found:

Swordfish with mushrooms and haricot verts (french green beans).


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## DeeSkank (May 26, 2010)

Bruno, you gotta stop posting this stuff man. I'm a sucker for any sort of seafood or sushi, but the lady won't have any part of it. So the only way I get any, is if I make it myself or go out. Just isn't fair.

And Jim, that pasta sauce sounds deeeelicious! Gonna have to give that one a try soon.


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

How about soup then? This was a weird one I tried to do. It's parsnip on one side and butternut squash on the other. The green globs are tarragon infused olive oil.


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## mrmikey32 (Dec 7, 2010)

instead of energy drinks drink this!

Helix

I swear by this stuff!



> HELIX Energy + Ginseng
> 
> NO SUGAR
> Only 5 Calories
> ...


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

mrmikey32 said:


> instead of energy drinks drink this!
> 
> Helix
> 
> I swear by this stuff!


Going by the ingredients, it looks pretty much like sugar-free Red Bull.


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## mrmikey32 (Dec 7, 2010)

sirxlaughs said:


> Going by the ingredients, it looks pretty much like sugar-free Red Bull.


but it tastes good! Plus i can just add it to any bottle of water, and its cheap


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## sirxlaughs (Nov 18, 2005)

mrmikey32 said:


> but it tastes good! Plus i can just add it to any bottle of water, and its cheap


Haha. So, it's still an energy drink.  I'm just teasing. I've never liked the taste of Red Bull myself.


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## chicobrownbear (Aug 31, 2010)

JGD said:


> Pasta. I love it, but it generally seems to be a no no when dieting. There are ways around that though.
> 
> First, lets look at the sauce (or gravy). Some of the worst pasta sauce that you can eat comes in the jars at the super market. Why? Because they generally add sugar to sweeten it.
> 
> ...


Spaghetti squash is a good pasta alternative. I bet your sauce would go great on some. Also, that sauce recipe would be good on eggplant parm. We don't fry ours, just put slices on a PAM'd cookie sheet. Spoon sauce on and throw some fresh grated Parm on the top. Bake until done.


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## mrmikey32 (Dec 7, 2010)

anyone here like shark? i have a few great recipes, but i know its a bit pricey so not many eat it


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## cheese (Dec 26, 2009)

My egg sandwich recipe:
Ingredients:
2 slices of whole wheat bread (I use Orowheat double fiber.)
¼ cup egg whites (1 serving) 
1 orange bell pepper (I'm not a big fan of green or red bell peppers but the orange ones rock!)
1 serving of pesto hummus (Available at Sunflower market.)

First, cut the bell pepper into thin strips (be sure to remove all of the seeds) and lightly sauté them. Set them aside.
Next, fry the eggs and toast the bread. (I use butter for both the pepper and the eggs but less than a ¼" pat altogether.)
Spread the pesto hummus on the toasted bread and add the fried eggs and top with as much of the peppers as you want. (Save any left over peppers for a salad topping.)

This is a great sandwich as is but is even better with bacon or ham added to it.


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

Shark is OK but it can be tough. I prefer swordfish and dolphin.


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## DylTheThrill (May 20, 2010)

Also for pasta lovers, here is a really good lasagna recipe that substitutes a few items to make it much healthier.

1 package whole wheat lasagna pasta
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 lb ground turkey
Cottage cheese (I eyeball this part)
1 package sliced swiss cheese
1 package sliced provolone cheese


Brown the meat
Combine meat and sauce
Cook the noodles
Make tomato sauce
Layer like this from bottom up:
Pasta
Meat and swiss/provolone cheese
Pasta
Meat and cottage cheese
Repeat

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble/brown


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

My taco recipe for tonight, I can't give up mexican food but I can make it healthier!

Ground Turkey
Spinach
Salsa
Fat Free Cheese
Light Sour Cream
Black olives
Whatever other toppings tickle your fancy

I use whole wheat wraps instead of taco shells and it is just as delicious and a bit better for you than the traditional taco!

And the spinach on them is amazing, have stopped using lettuce on my tacos for quite sometime now.


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